Always Inspired

For those of you who don't know the story of Bailey, here is his "tail" ;)

September 2008 was a particularly difficult month for me: my 17 year old dog Teddy was on his death bed, work was crazy as usual, I spent a weekend believing a misdiagnosis for multiple melanoma, and a long term romantic relationship had just abruptly ended.  With all that going on, and since I no longer planned to move to the Netherlands in 2009 to be with now-ex-boyfriend, I decided, hey, why not cheer myself up by getting a puppy. Good idea, right?  Four days after getting aforementioned cheer-me-up-pup, he was hit by a truck....right in front of me.....on the leash.

Before choosing Bailey, I spent a couple of weeks researching various rescue organizations in order to find the perfect new puppy.  Although Bailey's predecessor, Teddy, came from a reputable Cocker Spaniel breeder in NC nearly two decades before and was a wonderful dog, in the spirit of volunteerism I wanted to rescue a dog this time.  I also wanted a "low maintenance" dog; one that was young enough to be a puppy, but old enough to have moved past the potty training stage.  Naturally, a nine month old, friendly, outgoing Cocker from a highly respected organization (Oldies But Goodies, based in Alexandria VA) seemed like a great fit.  He was beat up, underweight, and a little surly, but I figured he'd turn into a love bug after hanging out with me for a little while. 

The first few days weren't great.  Bailey was aggressive with other dogs and nipped me multiple times.  I'd never had a dog like this before and so I second guessed my decision to adopt.  Then, on day four, thinking I'd give the guy a little treat and take a long lunch to go on a stroll with him, Bailey darted in front of an U-Haul truck going about 40mph while I watched, horrified, and tried to pull him out of the path of the oncoming vehicle.  As he tumbled in the undercarriage of the truck like an old shoe in a washing machine, I screamed.  The truck eventually spit him back out; he hit the curb in front of me. 

I will never forget the sound he made as he writhed in agony.  Clearly I was in shock since all I could manage to do in the immediate aftermath was stare down at him.  All I could think was "Stabilize him; don't move his back" like you do with humans with neck injuries. We'd been alone on our walk, then seemingly out of thin air, an old woman came to my side and said, "Pick him up, honey."  She put her arm around me as we walked to the apartment building's parking garage, we got in my car, she held Bailey in her lap, and I drove to the vet down the street.  She came in with me, and as I began explaining what had happened to the vets inside, she must've left.  I don't remember.  It's like she sort of drifted out on the fog of the moment.

The next thing I remember hearing was "It'll cost about $7,000 to save his life.  What do you want to do?"  I balked.  I only had this dog for four days and I was supposed to drop $7k on him because he was stupid enough to jump in front of a truck?  I felt guilty for being mad. I cried.  They said they'd keep him alive overnight but that was all they could promise.  I cried at the thought of him dying. I went home. I called my parents.  I called friends.  I cried again.  I stressed.  Finally, I called the rescue group from which I got him.  They acted suspicious at first, as if to insinuate that I was purposely reckless with him; thankfully, we quickly moved beyond that as they could hear the genuine sorrow in my voice, and they agreed to hold an emergency board meeting to decide what to do.  I prayed.  Then, I tried to sleep.

The next day, Oldies But Goodies http://www.cockerspanielrescue.com/ decided to pay for Bailey's emergency surgery. (Thank you!!!) Props to my friends Nora and Nate for driving down from Maryland to offer their emotional support right before the surgery and Megan and Francisco for their support throughout this time.  For the most part, though, everyone else told me to get rid of the dog.  I told myself I'd just help him get through the surgery, then give him back to the rescue group; it would be their problem to figure out and I didn't have the time, money, or emotion for this.
Well, Bailey got put back together like Humpty Dumpty, and what I'd hoped to be a low maintenance dog turned into a massive time commitment.  He couldn't walk, he couldn't function, he couldn't do much of anything but whimper and whine without my help.  I, with quite the bad back myself, had to lean over him, supporting him with a makeshift sling, crab walk behind him just to get him "walking" outside to go to the bathroom.  Fun times. 

Days turned into weeks, weeks turned into months.  Intensive care turned into physical therapy turned into more questions as the fractures healed but nerve damage remained.  I was just his "foster mom;"  I hadn't officially adopted him yet.  Everyone was still telling me to get rid of the dog which, logically-speaking, made sense to me.  I bought a dog to have as a hiking, running, adventure companion; he'd be better suited as the lap dog of some little old lady now, right? I didn't have time for this crap!  Yet I held on.  Nearly four months after the accident, the fractures had more than healed, the pins and screws were removed, but the nerve damage lingered.  Even after all the physical therapy I'd done with him, trying different braces, difference exercises, etc, he still dragged his back right paw.  But nerve damage is tricky....sometimes function can return late in the game.  Was I going to amputate this young dog's leg?  What if he just needed more time? more therapy?  What if I had his leg chopped off before it healed?  I couldn't deliberate forever, though, and at some point Oldies But Goodies gave me a week to make up my mind because if I decided to have the vet amputate, they'd pay for the surgery again; if after a week, however, I hadn't opted for the surgery, and I'd officially adopted him, all costs were mine to bare.   I consulted the vet.  "It's going to cost $5,000 to amputate."  Facts of life being what they are, I decided to take Bailey in for surgery that week.  Turns out his entire right leg was dead.  The vet said she'd never seen anything like it before - all of the muscles in the right leg were white and gray. Amputating ended up being the best decision after all. And a massive thanks to Oldies But Goodies for covering the second surgery.

The night I brought Bailey home from that surgery he wept like a person before finally falling asleep.  He slept through most of the next day, and in the late afternoon when he awoke, I wasn't sure what to expect.  I took him outside to go potty and, tugging at the leash, he begged to run.  So we ran.  One day after losing his leg, we ran together.

Bailey in the middle of a 12mi hike near Charlottesville, VA, June 2010

Seeing him then, I thought there was no way he'd ever look normal again.  His entire back right hindquarter was shaved bald and where his leg used to be, it looked like a drunk person had stapled his gaping skin back together. For months after the surgery, people stopped...stared....asked questions...pointed.  I thought, well, I'd stuck through it with this little guy, but there was no way he'd be the outdoor buddy I'd originally wanted him to be. 

Oh how wrong I was!  Bailey has since gone hiking, running, and swimming to his heart's content.  I figure if I can somehow teach him to ride a bike, we can do triathlons together! ;) 

Fast forward nearly two and a half years later......This past Sunday (June 26, 2011), what was supposed to be a hey-lets-just-check-out-this-trail trip at Alum Creek State Park in Delaware, OH turned into a Bailey-lead 6 mile single track all terrain run and swim.  Bailey is not content to idly walk through the forest - he wants to RUN!!! :)  To see this three legged Cocker Spaniel pulling as hard as he can at the leash, running as fast as he can over hilly trails, with what looks like an actual smile on his face, I am INSPIRED by the purity of his zest for life.   He is in the moment; he is happy; he is active and alive, and he has no concept of feeling sorry for himself. 

Keeping Bailey is a decision I constantly reflect on because of the impact he made on my life... and because the decision went against the advice of nearly everyone I consulted.  When everybody said "Get rid of him.  You don't have time for him.  You have too much stress in your life already" (perfectly reasonable advice),  my heart told me something else. My best decisions in life have been made this way: following my heart.  For the heart is where God speaks to me, inspires me, fills my "gut" with the strength to do difficult things. I know the heart is where God reaches me, and I know God can reach us in creative ways...yes, even through our pets.  I am thankful for that since Bailey teaches me to appreciate the little things in life.  He teaches me patience.  He makes me smile when I don't feel like smiling, or run when I don't feel like running.  He can be the perfect cuddle buddy on the couch, or, once outdoors, the adventure animal he was born to be running alongside me while I mountain bike, leading me on a trail run, jumping into lakes to chase ducks, or even attempting to play soccer from time to time by running after the ball and pouncing on top of it. He shows me that unexpected set backs can't keep you from pursuing what you love.  

Bailey inspires me.  What inspires you? Is there something in your life you're ignoring as inspiration because it doesn't fit within the preconceived box of motivational stories you think it should? or are you feeling sorry for yourself about something instead of being motivated by it to persevere beyond it or change it?   I encourage you not to be limited.  I encourage you to keep your three-legged dog ;)

*[Please also see this Bailey haiku :) http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/8354543/rescue_dog.html?cat=47 ]

and http://obgcockerconnection.blogspot.com/2011/09/34-bailey.html

Paragliding near Mendoza, Argentina (November 2009)

Since I seem to always be traveling, this Semper Sarah entry is about Always Traveling Sarah :)

Day 1 of our Mendoza portion of the trip, Margie and I decided there'd be no half-a$sing things.  As soon as we dropped our bags off at our hotel (a 4-star place at which we scored an amazing deal), we strolled into town to book a reservation to go paragliding.  I think we only paid something like $80?? Whatever it was, I remember it being a bargain! Later, when Margie and I arrived at the "base camp" where all the hang gliding guides waited for their innocent tourist victims, we immediately sighted "the crazy guide" among the group. This guy was carrying on like a nut!  He was like a cartoon version of a South American Gumby-meets-Garth from Wayne's World character.  We chuckled to one another "I feel sorry for the person who gets THAT guy." Well, as I always say: "It's all fun and games till someone loses and eye."  That's my way of telling you, yup, you guessed it, about 20 minutes later when they partnered everyone up with a guide, I got Loco Lester!  This was both funny and NOT funny to me - I had to literally jump off the side of a cliff with this dude and trust that he knew what the heck he was doing!!!  Turns out he was actually really good at his job (gracias Dios!).  The video shows a snippet of me and Margie (nearby) before he took us through some crazy drops and turns.  When we landed about 20 minutes later, he gave me the biggest hug and was so cool about the whole thing.  It was one of my favorite Argentinian adventures. 

try  not to be jealous of how cool I look

More exciting stuff coming soon! I promise ;)....Starting with Argentinian Adventures

Since things really aren't THAT exciting right now, (is anyone else severely depressed by this gloomy weather in Columbus?!??!)  I thought maybe I'd backtrack in pieces here and there to add blurbs about some of my travels.  As much as I am an organization freak, I'm going to resist the urge to only write in exact chronological order, and just start dropping in stories as they come to mind or as I comb through my journal entries and see tasty tales here and there :)  Hope you enjoy!  I'll start with one of my all time faves....Margie and I like to call it "Mendoza PERFECT!"  Mendoza and the surrounding area was where we spent the final five days and four nights of our South American adventure, and things definitely ended on a high note for us.  Stay tuned for posts about that portion of the trip.

me&Margie near Mendoza, Argentina, about to go paragliding

Looking Up (pun intended)

Always TRYING to look up.....

Since I last wrote four days ago, things have continued to improve.  Starting the week off, Sunday, by "looking up" (at God), really helped to get things going in the right direction.  Now, the rest of that day wasn't particularly spectactular, and it ended up being too muddy to go mountain biking, but I got a lot done, and Pete got home safely that night from his Wiscosin "guys weekend" camping trip, so it was a good day. 

Monday morning I got up at 6am to go to a yoga class here at the apartment complex's gym.  I didn't sleep AT ALL Sunday night, so I "woke up" on the wrong side of the bed, did not feel like working out, wanted to punch my pillow out of frustration over not sleeping at all, and forget about the yoga class I signed up for.  But, before I could roll back over, I literally jumped out of the bed and ran to the class before I think myself out of it.  Turns out I was the only one who showed.  haha!!  Although it wasn't the most challenging yoga I've ever done, that was fine by me because it did exactly what I needed it to: cleared my mind, re-energized my body, and got my head back on straight.  I woke up like a sour puss and needed an attitude adjustment big time!....and it always amazes me how well yoga does that without even trying ;)  The rest of my day involved compiling some BreauxCo orders, computer reorg, visiting a couple boutiques in New Albany to pimp the BreauxCo line, and then off to footie practice with the Jills (The Columbus Jillaroos on FB http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Columbus-Jillaroos-Australian-Rules-Football-Club/133878553293534  ).  Yet another rainy stormy day in Columbus actually turned into a really nice one, so as usual, all that fresh air really revived me.

Tuesday morning I decided to start with yoga again, only this time I did it in the living room using a Rodney Yee DVD.  No joke, Bailey always tries to do yoga with me when I do it at home!! HAHA.  Gives more meaning to the pose "downward dog," huh???  Later I had a meeting with a boutique about BreauxCO, then back home to enjoy lunch with Pete, another boutique meeting about BreauxCo, then knocked out some good writing at the New Albany Starbucks.  Sitting in this Starbucks is like a little time warp for me.....It takes me straight back to my Starbucks hangin' days in the late 90's in Centreville VA.  First my sister worked there (when it was like "oh my gosh!!  our town got our first Starbucks!!") in the early/mid 90's and I'd hang out with her because I was the monkey-see-monkey-do lil sis, then my Dad worked there right after he retired from like 23 years in the Air Force, and then I worked there briefly my senior year in high school!! hahah.  Anyway, the Starbucks here is like that one in Centreville - everyone knows everyone's names, their kids' names, what sports they play, what they're up to, etc etc.  It's so cute.  Anyway, later that night I finally had a great work out!!!  i'd been feeling like crap again for more than a week, so a good pump up sesh really got the positive juices flowin for me :)

Wednesday (yesterday) I spent the entire first half of the day dealing with house crap again :( :( Uggghhhh!!!  It's very clear now that Pxx and his attorney have withheld information, lied, and effectively stolen thousands of dollars.  That's about all I want to say about it for now.  In the afternoon I used a sweet little Living Social coupon for a facial (only the second one in my life!) and loved it.  So that was a nice little treat.  Then, I headed over to the Starbucks and made some awesome progress on one of my book proposals!  Again, a rainy day somehow turned into a lovely evening, so as soon as I got home, I threw on my running clothes and shoes and darted out the door.  I had a great run!!!  whoo hooo!!!! :)  and I love when my runs turn into really good "God talks," too....definitely feel closest to Him when i'm outdoors and active:)  Anyway, then Pete and I went to see the movie, Bridesmaides.  WOW!!  That was HILARIOUS!  I was cry-laughing nearly from the get-go.  Had a couple emails waiting for me after the movie from Britt's dad with some awesome advice on the house situation.....which made me happy to have that great advice, but got my mind racing.  So, even though I was tired and ready for bed at 10pm, I didn't fall asleep until almost 2am b/c my mind was racing!!  Hey Mom and Dad, thanks for those insomnia genes!! (Bec, I know you hear me!!)

Thursday, today, up at 6am for a morning "bootcamp" class.  Um, ya, lets just say (having been to bootcamp myself), this one didn't quite fit its namesake! haha.  Oh well, it was a decent workout and it was good to get the blood flowin first thing this morning.  Then, I had to drive Pete to the airport so he could fly off to Atlanta for a two day work conference.  Back home to spend hours on the phone and email with MARFORRES sorting out orders issues from last year and figuring out how to avoid the same problem again this year.  (snore) Then, blerg, more house emails to draft up.  I did manage to get in another free teleseminar this afternoon, though, so that was cool; it was all about publicity and marketing stuff for books.  Again, though, these things are like little teasers for the product that the speaker is selling.    And now, here i am, typeity type typing at my computer, with Bailey literally on my feet, and me looking out the window wondering how another crappy day weather wise looks like it's turned into a nice afternoon.  I'm not complaining!  I gotta head off to (guys) footie practice here in about an hour and get me some fresh air!! ;)

Tomorrow - my goal is, if possible, don't get bogged down with CA house stuff.  Make more progress on the writing ideas that have been bumbling around in my head. Btw, Blog-newswise, I noticed that France, the Netherlands, Egypt, and Japan are now part of my audience.  Cool.

Semper Seeking

I started my Sunday (6/19/20) seeking out some spiritual fruit..... My previous two days were a mixed bag: Friday, I woke up with a general feeling of dis-inspiration which was only compounded by more CA house drama.  I tried to get myself recharged in the afternoon with a workout, but no avail! :( I was having a bad day and there didn't seem to be much I could do about it.  [see my blog "Status Update"]
Saturday was better, but not great.  I drove out to Dublin for some outdoor coed soccer I heard about through a member of the guys Footie team.  Three minutes into the game, the sky opened up, lightening struck, and all players were instructed to run to the field house.  I really felt like getting in the car and just going home.  However, I loitered briefly, and the storm passed.  A group of us stuck around to play an informal game.  I'm glad I stayed; I had fun and everyone was really nice.  Later that afternoon, I managed to get in a good lift workout which succeeded in further "lifting" my mood. ;)

Now to Sunday.....I got up early so I could make it to the 9:30 church service at Vineyard Church in Westerville.  Wow, megachurch!  Honestly, that turned me off a little.  Especially at this point in my life, I feel like I'm getting salesman'y pitched to about everything: Pxxxxxx's lawyer, the realtor in CA, book writing seminars, my brother's business.  Ugh, no more sales pitches, please!!  But I went in anyway; I'm glad that I did.  The pastor really hit home about with a lesson about how to know if you're listening to God when you're making major life decisions.  There was one metaphor he used that I particularly liked: God's plan for our life is not a paint by numbers picture, but an original work of art where Jesus serves as the model.  God does not expect us to look exactly like Christ, but to look at Him as a model, as an example of what God has in mind for the type of person He wants us to be.  Furthermore, beyond WHAT job, WHERE to live, etc, God asks more WHO will you be in that new job or HOW will you live in that new home.  These are subtle things to point out, but importantly, and a message I know and believe (that God cares about the state of our heart, not our outward accomplishments) but is worth hearing again and again.  It's not to say that God doesn't want us to accomplish things or succeed, but that through a happy state of our heart, a wholeness in our heart, a state of heart where we have a relationship with God, those successes will hopefully be in line with his "model" for us.  Also, I liked the metaphor that God doesn't give us the blueprint, he gives us a playbook.  Blueprints typically aren't deviated from at all, whereas a playbook allows for contingencies and on the spot decision making.  As red blooded Americans, I think a lot of us believe in the religion of self in a lot of ways.  That is, we, by our own hard work and great decision making ability, have gotten ourselves to where we are pretty much all on our own.  We don't want someone else imposing their plan on us or taking credit from us - to include God.  But God allows for free will, folks! :)  He really does.  And that, to me, is part of the playbook vs blueprint metaphor.  The same way you would consult coaches and trainers associated with the sport of the playbook you're studying, wouldn't you want to consult "coaches" and "trainers" about God?  Furthermore, don't be paralyzed by the idea that there is only one way to do it, to live life, to follow God.  God's desire for our lives is not a blueprint, but a game plan that He wants to be a part of.

As for the blue print for the rest of my day, I plan to work on my book proposal(s), go home, walk Bailey, go check out some mountain biking trails (if it's not raining), clean, do some BxCo inventory (ugh), then (yeah! :) ) pick Pete up at the airport tonight.

Wish me luck in my seeking

Too Soon Tuesday and Bye Bye Beardie

By the time my set departure date ((Too Soon) Tuesday, 14 June) rolled around, I hadn't quite figured out how to change my ticket without losing an arm and a leg or by sorely disappointing Pete and Bailey back home.  I was quite torn between staying in a place I love with a friend I love, where both the place and the person fill me with such a positive energy, and going home to see my man and pup that I love but to a place that doesn't quite "energize" me.  (Sorry, no offense Ohioites!) To Pete's credit, he was supportive of me staying or coming home.  However, I decided it was best for me to just head home as much as I wanted to stay in Colorado and soak in the fresh air, mountains, and non-stop laughter from my hoot of a friend, the little sister I never had, Britt.

I got up in the morning and went for a long walk and run; I felt yucky but was glad I got out and got moving.  Then Britt came home after working at the USAFA soccer camp that morning and took us on base to try to get something called an ISOPREP done.  Not worth going into the boring details on that, but it took up a chunk of the day until we basically had to get on the road to take me to Denver. 

We made better time than we expected, so (random) we stopped at  Wendy's to get frosty's, sit outside, and chat a little more before taking me to the airport. The check in at the airport was a mess.  I was scolded for arriving only an hour early.  Um, what?!  Since when is an hour not early enough for a domestic flight???  and was told "your bag probably wont make it."  Whatever, I made it through security and ran to my gate b/c that's what they told me to do, and after I arrived sweaty, I saw the flight wasn't even boarding yet.  Oh well.  So I killed a little time before boarding, and thank goodness the flight home was WAY smoother than the flight out.  ...and, yes, my bag arrived in Columbus, too.

Pete arrived at CMH with a clean shaven face!!!   BYE BYE BEARDIE!!! he's had a beard for about 8 months now, and even though I knew he shaved it off while I was gone, he just looks so different without it that I really had to adjust to his new look :)  As soon as I got in the car, Bailey squealed and wagged and jumped in my lap.  He is such a lovey puppy!  Upon returning to my apartment, I was greeted by a sweet surprise Pete had waiting for me: a super cute greeting card welcoming me home and two DVD's I wanted (127 Hours (which I haven't seen yet) and The Other Guys (have you heard my impression of Will Ferrell's tuna and lion monologue?? It's one of my favorites!)).  Sweet Pete got some major bonus points for all that :)

Status Report - 17 June 2011

South Korea, Turkey, Serbia, and South Africa are a handful of the countries newly added to my blog audience. Pretty cool! :)

Onto less exciting news. . . I'm faltering on the motivation front lately :( ...I don't know if I'm in a post-Colorado depression or what, but I'm really feeling like this whole I'm-gonna-write-a-book idea may be stupid.  Somebody slap me! either to tell me "no, it's not stupid" or "yes, it is, move on with your life."  I really feel like I'm in a stranger state right now than I anticipated......

I listened to a free webinar yesterday, Thursday, about how to write your book in 90 days.  Well, I got the basic tips, but it really was just a long infomercial for this lady's $1500 plan.  Surprisingly, $1500 isn't really that pricey compared to some of the other programs out there.  Should I do it???  Is that cheating??  I see all these celebrities writing books lately and I wonder "Are they REALLY writing their books???"  They are likely paying primo dollar to people to coach them into "writing" their book in 90 days or less, or have ghost writers, or do something else I can't imagine but which only money can buy.  Is this fair? is this "real" writing? does this mean the "art" of writing is lost when you can pay anyone some money to help you churn your latest book like any other commodity??  I thought writing a book would be a lot deeper than that, but am really leaning toward paying someone to "coach" me into getting this thing out of my head and onto paper!!

Regardless of the moral and fiscal dilemma I face when pondering whether or not to sign onto one of these programs, I at least got a few tips worth implementing in my book writing "plan."  As a creature of organization, it was no surprise  to hear that getting organized was key.  Beyond that though, I do need to re-emphasize to myself these points: Set a deadline, Create structure for my book, Follow Proven Success (get a coach/have people to which you are accountable), Don't go it alone (ie: find a writers' group), and Make firm writing appointments.

I'm not sure how many of you are really reading this thing or not! :)  but for those of you who are, and those of you who are friends, please help me in this journey!!  Please be part of my accountability group (if you want to be, that is).  And FYI, here's a little plan I have, as silly as it may sound: start getting dressed in the morning in regular clothes and go out somewhere else to write.  This whole I'm-gonna-work-from-home-and-it's-gonna-be-the-greatest-thing-ever actually kind of sucks sometimes. I am a social creature and need to get out of the house during the day more so than my daily work outs, Bailey walks, jaunts to the mailbox, and trips to the mall to participate in the never ending buy/return/buy/return cycle entails!!

Oh by the way, Pete is out of town and I can't figure out how to play a DVD on his TV!!!  am I a girl, or what?? hahaha.  All I wanna do is watch "The Other Guys"!!!

The Beginning of "the Summer of Sarah&Britt"

Garden of the Gods Park, Colorado Springs CO



the "Thinker" and the "Looker"



Sunday morning, June 12th, we were up nice and early after a not-so-restful night's sleep.  A wonderful 3.5hour hike through Garden of the Gods Park in Colorado Springs was a great way to get the blood flowing, though!  Britt's co-worker and her dog lead the way, which is a good thing because I think Britt and I left to our own devices would have definitely gotten lost once or twice!  So, "Schwany," Britt's friend, who was very familiar with the trails, took us to all the major highlights: the twins, the kissing camels, etc.  I loved it!



our post-hike "Linner"



After our hike, we hit up Starbucks, went home to shower off all the sand and dirt, then began cooking our masterpiece Lunch-Dinner, aka: Linner.  But first we snacked on freshly made caprese salad,...then some avacados (one each).....then began the longest roasting ever of fresh artichokes......then went to the store to get the chicken.....came home, watched the Young Victoria (one of my all time favorites!!!) then cooked the whole scrumdidilyumptious meal of parmesan chicken and asparagus and artichoke, ate, enjoyed, hung out, relaxed, and went to bed at a decent hour.  A great little day :)



Garden of the Gods Park

MANIC MONDAY - June 13th - yup, manic indeed!  we spent the entire day running to and froe at the Air Force Academy to get my medical physical and loads of fun paperwork done in time for the Marine Corps to cut me my orders for the All Armed Forces Soccer Training Camp this July  The details of that morning and afternoon are not worth describing!  So I'll just skip to our afternoon/early evening.... 

Britt drove us to Manitou Springs which is this quaint, almost European-looking little town at the base of Pikes Peak.  Our timing wasn't the best as most of the shops were shutting down as we got there, but this didn't prevent us from taking a little stroll and enjoying the scenery.  From there we drove to downtown Colorado Springs for an outdoor dinner at (darn can't remember the name) where the waitress definitely thought Britt and I were high on something because we could NOT stop laughing!!  I love times like that - where you don't even know why but everything is HILARIOUS and you don't care if people are looking at you funny :)  This slap happiness continued through the night ....our appetizers were great, but the main course was a bust (which made us laugh)....so lef that place without having eaten a real dinner and walked around  a little.  We decided to stop for some sushi where, yet again, we told stories and swapped advice on different things and continued to laugh so hard it hurt.  We made grand plans of trying out for the (real) National Team at some point in our lives (admittedly, it's getting a little late for me ;)), figuring out how to get me (and Pete) a job out there so I can live in CO, ideas for future visits, and possibilities for more international travel fun for us later this summer.  We, thus, deemed this visit as the beginning of "the Summer of Sarah&Britt" because of all the fun we did have and was yet to be had this summer.  We'll see how much of it materializes!....but it's good to have dreams.  So, yup, it was a perfectly imperfect night! :)  plus, I got my ab workout for the day from all the laughing;)

Britt at Manitou

Sarah on funky bench at Manitou Springs

 



Kickin' it in Colorado Springs - Saturday 12 June 11



Sarah&Britt about to bike ride the Sante Fe Trail in Colorado Springs, CO



I woke up early at Yaya's once again.  (to anyone who knows me well, you'll note that this early wake up is obviously due to the time difference, NOT because I'm a morning person...which I'm not!) I decided to take a morning stroll to Starbucks down the road for a little latte.  I had my old woman hips on that morning, so it was more of a hobble than a stroll, but nonetheless nice to get some fresh air and chat with Pete on the phone while doing so.  I returned to the house of Yaya as she and Britt were starting a yummy country-style breakfast of poached eggs on toast with a side of bacon.  We enjoyed that home cooked meal, then got packed up and Britt and I hit the road to head to her home in Colorado Springs. We made great time, so my plan to call the airlines and change my ticket (b/c Britt & I both already wanted me to stay longer :) ) didn't add up since we talked the whole 45minutes out there. 





USAFA



High on life



Well, I gotta say, young Ms. Britt's house is GORGEOUS!!! :)  She's such a big kid with her own big, lovely house decorated so nicely and so well maintained ;)  Plus, Britt is such a sweetheart - she'd put out an awesome goody bag to welcome me there filled with toiletries, treats, and a super cute card.  We dropped our stuff off then promptly headed on base at the US Air Force Academy to rent a couple of mountain bikes and tool around on the Sante Fe Trail for awhile.  Riding north on the trail was great....turning around to pedal back into a head wind the whole way was not nearly as much fun.  But I'm easy to please when it comes to all things outdoors, so the fact that I got a couple hours of fresh air made me plenty happy :)  ...that and the fact that we went directly to Starbucks after our bike ride made me even happier :) 

After our coffee break it was home to shower and go back out, this time for a feast at Ted's Montana Grill where we gorged ourselves on pickled cucumbers, steaks, veggies, and red wine....oh, and of course, more talking.  Afterwards we did a tiny bit of shopping in the stores nearby (because doesn't every girl need ANOTHER really good pair of shoes??  they were on sale!!!), then drove out to one of Britt's old haunts from her Academy days, O'Malley's.  This was a quintessential country bar in an incredibly lovely setting with mini mountains and a lake (forget the name of it) nearby as the background.  We sat out on the porch of the bar, drank a beer, and continued our conversation about family, friends, and life.  Even though we were both tired, we decided we needed a night out.  So we went back to her place to quickly change clothes (so quickly that her room looked like a disaster zone by the time we'd made up our minds), then head out in downtown Colorado Springs.  What a cute little city!  After vascillating where to park, we cut a sweet illegal U'y, parked, and semi-argued whether or not we needed to put money in the meeter until a couple guys walking buy dropped some coins in and walked away.  hahahah.  So, onto the "clubs" we went.  We decided on a place called the Mansion, and unknowingly waited in the VIP line...which didn't matter in the end because we just walked in and no one even said anything!  (I followed your lead, Britt! :)  )  Anyway, we mostly danced with ourselves the whole night!  But no matter, we had fun people watching, laughing, and silly dancing so much so that we got a second work out out of it. 

A Fine Friday

Friday, 10 June 2011 - A Wonderful Day! :)

Yaya's backyard

I slept till about 7, stayed in bed till 9, listening to the perfect neighborhood summer sounds (those early morning risers out mowing their lawn or playing with kids outside, dogs barking, cars quietly coming and going).  When I got up, Yaya had some coffee already brewed, so I poured myself a cup and we commenced some morning chatting.  I wrote yesterday's blog and caught up on some emails, then Yaya went to Whole Foods and got us some fresh hand made papusas. (Is this really the correct name for these South American yummies? They're almost like a flat corn pancake-like thing filled with meat, veggies, and cheese.)  We ate lunch outside in her cute backyard, talked some more, then I talked to my sister, Becci, for awhile on the phone, then my Petey, thennnnnn took a nap in the grass afterwards.  Yes, a nap in the grass! :)

Then....drum roll....the lovely Britt arrived from Colorado Springs.  Hooray! :)  We immediately set off for a jog and walk on the trails behind Yaya's house while doing our best to catch up on everything in each others' lives without hyperventilating from trying to run and talk at the same time.  It was great.  We finished up right around dinner time, so we decided we'd go to Qdoba a pick up some food for us and Yaya to munch on while watching the hockey game.  Qdoba, mind you, is less than a mile an a half away.  It took us 20 minutes to get there.  A conversation about rigamortis (but not really rigamortis....just another condition Britt was trying to describe that sounded like and is similar to, but is not in fact, rigamortis) was one of many distracting factors......that and a lot of laughing about many things irrelevant.  By the time we finally found Qdoba, we realized we'd been driving in circles around it for at least 10 minutes.

Back to the house for more talking, guacamole dipping, and hockey watching.  There were no men around, so it was ok for us to chat during the game  ;)  So, by the end of the game, we were quite cozy and decided against going out in Denver that night.  Plus it was storming outside....one of those quintessential summer storms where you can keep the windows open, listening to the rain and thunder, getting bits of cool breezes blowing in....  So, needless to say, we had a nice night in instead

Yaya, Britt,&I cozy on the couch watching the Stanley Cup

I headed up to bed and started reading "the Walk" by Richard Paul Evans.  Really enjoying it so far; taking mental notes on his writing style.  Just borrowing the book from Yaya while I'm here, so I'll need to buy my own copy when I get home and add it to my list of things I need to read.

Angels In Denver

me thinks that light above Yaya's head makes her look like an angel...which she IS! :)

So after many a delay and a very bumpy flight (what's new?! I always seem to be bouncing through a storm or a tornado when I fly), I made it to Denver last night.  Pete actually dropped me off at the airport in Columbus around 6:30 so he could try to make it to the tail end of Aussie Footie practice (thanks, honey!), but then my flight didn't actually leave until after 9:30!  The three hours I spent in the airport weren't the worst I've had by far, but still not my favorite way to pass the time. Fortunately, my brain was buzzing with book idea STUFF, so I got comfortable at the little Wolfgang Puck cafe and pecked away on my netbook for awhile.  Got a good outline going for a shorter book idea I have and managed to even fill in some content of some of the chapters. 

Welp, Yaya was waiting with bells on for me when I arrived in Denver! :) (Yaya....aka Mama Theis....aka Cathy) is my dear friend, Caitlin's, Mom).  We didn't find each other at first because I power walked right by her hahahah but then we linked up at baggage claim and jumped in the car to go meet up with Aaron (Caitlin's oldest brother) and his girlfriend, Lisa.  Yaya and I were talking so much that we missed a couple turns!! :)  But eventually made it to Wyman's where we continued yammering away till nearly 2am with Aaron&Lisa whilst eating pizza, wings, and drinking beer.  Aaron (who I already knew from before) and Lisa are great! Too many things to chat about....from anthropology, to yoga, to geography, to history, to dogs-getting-hit-by-cars stories....  I couldn't have asked for a better night.

Love you, Theis's!!! :) :)  Wish the Spriggletts were here too, Caitlin.  xoxo

How to Write a Memoir

How to Write a Memoir

Thursday Thoughts

Just some notes for the day:

- 6am wake up today....ugh.  I'm really not much of a morning person, but Bailey sure woke up perky today!  Usually he's not much of a morning dog, but this morning he jumped out of his bed....unfortunately, with only three legs, his jumps don't get him too far. LOL.  He's sitting here beside me now, with his chin resting on the windowsill, keeping a look out for intruders ;)

- I'm working on the first draft of my book proposal right now. Having an outline has definitely given me focus and helped me clarify my purpose.

- I have an 8pm flight to Colorado tonight.  Before I leave I plan to make headway on my book proposal/outline, get a work out in, and pack. 

- Oh, here are some stats from my first 24 hours blogging: 286 pageviews from the US, 10 from New Zealand, 8 from Ireland, 4 from Canada, 4 from the UK, and 2 each from Germany, Spain, Croatia, and Portugal.  Thanks international friends/travel buddies for supporting me, too! :)  This is still all quite exciting to me.  I hope the feeling doesn't wear off :)

ok, back to my writing tasks!

Bailey hiking at Great Falls Park, VA - Nov 2010; also note, this is the picture Jeana keeps of Bailey....and people think she's a weirdo for having a picture of someone else's dog at her desk, but she knows the awesomeness that is Bailey

Background: Why "Semper Sarah?"

June 2007 - Miramar, CA - my promotion to Captain with some of my friends from the MAG and a mentor. I was so stoked I couldn't keep my eyes open! ;-p

"Semper" has a multiple meanings for me.....

1. For starters, the literal translation of "semper" is always. Beyond that, here's what always means to me...

2. Having spent more than 8 years dedicated to training to become, and then serving as an active duty United States Marine Corps Officer from 2001-2009, modifying the USMC motto of "Semper Fidelis" seemed incredibly apropos.  I am still active in the Marines once a year for a month at a time through the All Armed Forces Women's Soccer Team.

4. Semper Fidelis, Always Faithful, is of paramount importance to me because of my personal spiritual faith in God and Jesus.  This FAITH has been the central key to my survival, success, and growth.

5. Semper Sarah because I strive to always be myself.  Maybe that sounds cliche to some of you, but within an organization like the Marine Corps, in particular, that is a more daunting task for a goofball girl than one might initially think.  Being genuine is the cornerstone of my life philosophy.

super cheese! photo that went on the homepage of http://www.usmc.mil/ in May 2007 for an article about me being the only Marine on the All Armed Forces Womens Soccer Team going to the Military World Games in Hyderabad, India in October of that year

Girl with Guts...and Goals

Oct 2007 - Military World Games - Hyderabad, India

GOTTA HAVE GOALS.....AND GUTS

1. Shift focus.  The last month I've been bogged (not blogged) down by moving (something like my 25th move!), settling in, socializing, Aussie Rules footballin', visiting family, and doing stuff with Breaux Company, my brother's fashion design line.  Now I need to focus on my publishing goals!
2. Write a book proposal (or two) by the end of June - if I do two, the main book I plan to submit to Christian publishers, the second book would be more in the historical/military/memoir genre.  Self publishing is still an option depending on what develops with my submissions to traditional publishers.
3. MUCH LATER - A third book, (very basically described) which would cover my world travels after I left full time Active Duty in the Marine Corps
4. July will pretty much be shot for any REAL writing because I'll be off in FL and Brazil playing soccer, but I plan to catch up on my journaling and get back in the habit of daily writing.  I need to re-exercise my brain! :)
5...Sarah, focus, back to your immediate goals! ;).....Once my book proposal(s) is/are done, edited, and submitted, begin writing the meat of the book beyond whatever chapter or two I may have submitted with the book.
6. Somewhat ambitious, I know, but shoot to have my book released on Veterans Day 2011.
7......because I plan to start my studies in Doctor of Chiropractic at Parker University in Dallas, TX in January of 2012.
8. Ultimately, remind myself daily to have the GUTS to stick with this!!  God put me on this path for a reason.

Jumpin' In! :)



March 2009 - Cliffs of Moher, Ireland


I'M REALLY GONNA DO THIS THING! :)

So, after essentially blogging via my Facebook page while I traveled around the world for nearly a year straight from 2009-2010, I briefly created a blog sometime before my Australia/New Zealand leg of travel with the intention of getting serious about bloggin.  But, alas, I did not keep up with it! :(  Now, however, my life is such that I plan to make blogging an integral part of my day and my livelihood since I plan to try to publish a book this year.  Be patient with me as I get the hang of this, please! ;)  and feel free to let me know what you guys think.....about anything! haha.  My ideas, my goals, my grammar, all is fair game ;)
PS. The clock just struck midnight (wait a second, does anyone even have clocks that strike anything anymore??) and it is now officially one month till my 30th birthday!  Gasp! ;)  On that note, goodnight